NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE

05.21.13

OK Was Given 16-Minute Warning

Tornado in Moore, Okla. on Monday. (Alonzo Adams/AP)

Despite the 7 percent budget cuts imposed on the National Weather Service—a result of the sequester—the agency says it was still able to provide “ample warning” to residents of Oklahoma. In a statement from the group's parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, officials said that the NWS issued tornado warnings 16 minutes before the storm hit. Just one month ago on its website, the service assured the nation that its diminished staff would not hinder its ability to provide the public with “life- and property-saving forecasts, watches, and warnings.”